Page 10 - Publishing Inspiration Christmas Card 2021

caught the flu, but she was optimistic she would

beat it. Since then, they had heard nothing, and
Aaron just kept telling himself that no news was
good news. Still, there was always the nagging in

his mind that something could have gone wrong.
Aaron sat down and started peeling potatoes.
Helping prepare the food took his mind off of his

worries. The wonderful aromas of the cooking
food helped lift his spirits—a little. When it was

time to eat, Aaron carried each of the sick children
to their chairs at the table. But as he looked at the
two seats that were still empty, he could no longer
bear the pain and walked to his bedroom so his

family wouldn't see him cry. He hadn't been there
very long when he heard the excited voices of the

children.
He returned and saw the reason for their
exuberance. Alice was coming up the lane with a

stranger. The stranger was on crutches, so their
pace was slow. Aaron and Mary rushed out of the
house with most of the children close behind.

Aaron swooped his daughter into his arms and
twirled her around. When he finally stopped and
set her down, she smiled.

"Look who I found at the train station!"
Aaron turned to the stranger, and the man

pulled back the hood that covered his face. Aaron
gasped to see Sam standing there. He was missing

7